Christopher Houston
Cloud & DevOps Solutions Architect
$2.5M+
Cost Optimization
99.99%
System Uptime
50+
Enterprise Projects
Senior Solutions Architect with extensive experience in cloud architecture, DevOps practices, and big data infrastructure. Specializing in multi-cloud solutions, infrastructure as code, and enterprise-scale migrations across AWS, Azure, and GCP. Expert in modernizing enterprise systems and implementing secure, scalable solutions.
Areas of Expertise
Cloud Platforms
AWS
Azure
GCP
Infrastructure & DevOps
Terraform
Kubernetes
Docker
Ansible
Jenkins
GitLab
Big Data & Analytics
Hadoop
Snowflake
Spark
Kafka
HBase
Hive
Latest Blog Posts
Featured Projects
40% Cost Reduction & 3x Performance Boost
Led a large-scale migration of legacy systems to AWS, implementing a modern microservices architecture using containers and Kubernetes.
40% Cost Reduction
3x Performance Boost
AWS
Kubernetes
Terraform
Experience
- Designed and developed a 3D platformer using Unity, C++, and Blender, targeting cross-platform release.
- Engineered complex gameplay mechanics utilizing procedural generation, AI pathfinding, and custom physics simulations, boosting gameplay interactivity.
- Deployed CI/CD pipelines with Plastic SCM and Git, streamlining integration workflows by 40%.
- Developed and deployed the accompanying website using Node.js and Azure DevOps, hosting web apps in Azure for seamless user updates.
- Built reusable 3D asset-generation pipelines with Blender, reducing development lead time by 20%.
- Designed and secured Hadoop clusters processing PHI data, achieving compliance with HIPAA regulations.
- Configured Knox SSO for end-to-end data security using Shibboleth IDP and wire encryption for all services.
- Implemented Hadoop data platforms to process structured and unstructured data across environments.
- Managed and audited large-scale ingest pipelines via Hive and Kafka, enabling seamless data engineering operations.
- Architected disaster recovery solutions for Hadoop clusters, reducing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) to under 2 hours.
- Configured perimeter-level security, including Kerberos encryption, Knox topologies, and role-based Apache Ranger policies.
- Installed, configured, and maintained MapR Hadoop clusters, deploying highly available infrastructure.
- Designed efficient infrastructure-as-code (IaC) workflows with Terraform and Ansible, automating cluster scaling.
- Designed, implemented, and maintained big data infrastructure, including Hortonworks, MapR, and Cloudera Hadoop distributions.
- Planned and executed cloud migrations for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and GCP, enabling improved scalability and cost-effectiveness.
- Automated CI/CD pipelines using GitLab and Ansible, ensuring consistent code deployment and faster development cycles.
- Secured distributed architectures by implementing Kerberos authentication, Knox gateways, and SSL encryption policies.
Healthcare Industry (OHSU)
- Designed and secured Hadoop clusters processing PHI data, achieving compliance with HIPAA regulations.
- Configured Knox SSO for end-to-end data security using Shibboleth IDP and wire encryption for all services.
Retail Industry (Sephora)
- Implemented Hadoop data platforms to process structured and unstructured data across environments.
- Managed and audited large-scale ingest pipelines via Hive and Kafka, enabling seamless data engineering operations.
Finance Industry (Symcor)
- Architected disaster recovery solutions for Hadoop clusters, reducing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) to under 2 hours.
- Configured perimeter-level security, including Kerberos encryption, Knox topologies, and role-based Apache Ranger policies.
Energy Sector (Anadarko Petroleum)
- Installed, configured, and maintained MapR Hadoop clusters, deploying highly available infrastructure.
- Designed efficient infrastructure-as-code (IaC) workflows with Terraform and Ansible, automating cluster scaling.
- Designed, implemented, and maintained big data infrastructure, including Hortonworks, MapR, and Cloudera Hadoop distributions.
- Planned and executed cloud migrations for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and GCP, enabling improved scalability and cost-effectiveness.
- Automated CI/CD pipelines using GitLab and Ansible, ensuring consistent code deployment and faster development cycles.
- Secured distributed architectures by implementing Kerberos authentication, Knox gateways, and SSL encryption policies.
- Modernized CI/CD pipelines using Terraform, Ansible, and Git, reducing infrastructure deployment time by 60%.
- Spearheaded several cloud migration projects for multi-cloud environments, enabling seamless transitions for large clients.
- Designed and implemented scalable Terraform modules for automated deployment of resources such as VM clusters and network configurations.
- Served as a technical mentor for a pilot program training teams in IaC best practices, driving a 20% increase in adoption.
Let's Connect
Looking to modernize your infrastructure or need expertise in cloud solutions? Let's discuss how I can help.